Grayson Downing (Abbottsford, British Columbia) scored two goals and Danny Tirone (Trumbull, Conn.) made 30 saves to lead the University of New Hampshire men's hockey team to Tuesday night's 2-1 Hockey East victory against No. 14/15 Providence College at the Whittemore Center.

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UNH extended its unbeaten streak to three games (2-0-1) to improve to 7-11-2 overall and 2-5-1 in Hockey East. PC is now 14-8-1, 6-5-0.

Downing, who also scored both Wildcats' goals in last Friday's 2-2 tie vs. Dartmouth College, and Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) finished with multiple points. Kelleher had one primary and one secondary assist. This marked the first career home game for Tirone, who is now 2-0-0 on the season.

PC goaltender Jon Gillies was credited with 34 saves, including 16 in the second period. Noel Acciari was the Friars' goal scorer.

Downing netted the first two goals of the game and UNH took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Downing initiated the scoring sequence on the first goal when he intercepted a pass in the defensive zone and sent the puck ahead to Kelleher. He skated through the neutral zone into the left circle and his centering pass found Downing, who shoveled a shot into the net at 4:09.

The Wildcats generated a 2-on-1 breakaway less than a minute later. Matt Willows (Congers, N.Y.) snapped a wrister from the slot but Gillies slid to the top of the crease to make the save. He took a peak behind him to locate the puck, but he was sitting on it to keep the score 1-0.

UNH extended the advantage to two goals at 12:17. From the left point, John Furgele (Glen Mills, Pa.) whipped the puck around the boards. Downing corralled the puck in the right corner and his shot from deep along the goal line ricocheted off a defenseman's stick over Gillies into the cage. Kelleher was also credited with his second assist of the game and team-leading 13th of the season.

PC almost converted a New Hampshire turnover into a goal at 12:45. Tirone stopped Brian Pinho's initial shot from the slot as well as Kevin Rooney's bid off the rebound deep in the right circle.

The Friars trimmed the deficit to 2-1 with a power-play goal at 14:28 when Anthony Florentino's blast from the high slot was redirected in front by Noel Acciari. John Gilmour also tallied an assist.

UNH, with 4:06 of power-play time in the second period, generated a 16-10 shot advantage in the middle frame. PC went on its third power play of the game at 1:08 and, just as it expired, Shane Luke fired a one-timer from the right faceoff dot that Tirone turned aside.

Providence generated a 2-on-1 rush off a Wildcats' turnover in the neutral zone in the ninth minute, but Nick Saracino's shot from the slot was blocked away by Tirone.

On UNH's first skater advantage, which began at 10:25, Brett Pesce (Tarrytown, N.Y.) ripped a shot from the top of the right circle that caromed off the near post. With five seconds left on that power play, Shane Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.) rifled a shot from the right point but Gillies made the save and then stoned Andrew Poturalski (Williamsville, N.Y.) off the rebound at the right doorstep.

The Wildcats generated pressure in the last minute of their next power play that started with a give-and-go in which Matias Cleland (Longmont, Colo.) carried the puck into the left circle and received a return pass but was denied by Gillies at the doorstep with 4:30 on the clock.

New Hampshire opened the third period with 1:54 remaining on the power play. Furgele's initial shot from the high slot was blocked by Gillies and then Pesce's shot from the left point rang off the near post.

Moments after the Friars returned to even strength, Saracino's bid at the left post was stopped by Tirone. PC went on its fourth power play at 3:04, and as it ended Downing advanced against three skaters and, from close range, lifted a backhander into Gillies.

With 11:30 remaining in regulation, Dan Correale (Prince George, British Columbia) intercepted an outlet pass in the offensive zone and dropped the puck in the slot for Warren Foegele (Unionville, Ontario), whose shot was snared by Gillies.

The Wildcats went on their fourth skater advantage at 10:47 and one minute later, Kelleher's one-timer deep in the left circle was snagged by Gillies' glove. With 3:40 to play, Willows corralled a headman pass along the right boards to break into the circle behind the defense, but Gillies made a leg-pad save.

Gillies was pulled in favor of an extra skater with 82 seconds remaining, but had to reenter when the Friars were called for icing 12 seconds later. UNH called its timeout, and PC was once again whistled for icing with 52 seconds to go.

The Friars finally entered the attack zone and Gillies returned to the bench with 30 seconds on the clock. A Providence skater dislodged the net with 18 to play to force a faceoff in the neutral zone. Gillies remained on the bench, however, and PC won the ensuing faceoff and quickly swung the puck to the left wing and wrapped the puck along the boards behind the net. Acciari, positioned on the right doorstep, redirected a shot but Tirone smothered the puck with eight seconds left. Downing won the ensuing faceoff into the corner, where UNH froze the puck to secure the victory.

New Hampshire returns to action this weekend with a home-and-home series against the University of Massachusetts. The teams face off Jan. 16 (7 p.m.) at UMass' Mullins Center and again Jan. 17 (6:30 p.m.) at the Whittemore Center.